Having moved to central Florida two years ago, we found out how hot our attached garage gets in the summer. Going through the door from the house into the garage is like walking into an oven, and the interiors of our vehicles we keep in the garage are also like ovens. After recently purchasing two Chevy Bolts, I decided to install an air conditioner for the garage. I researched three choices: a wall unit, a portable air conditioner, and a ductless split system. I installed a MRCOOL DIY ductless mini-split system 12,000 BTU heat pump. The installation is do-it-yourself because the line set comes pre-charged. I have the temperature set to 79º F. Total installation parts cost was around $1,500.00. The unit is extremely energy efficient, 17.5 SEER in summer, and super quiet.

Cooling the garage should help prolong our EV's battery life, and now I can actually work in the garage in the summer. The air conditioner is sized properly to run long enough to remove the humidity which is usually high in Florida, and the air conditioner has no problem keeping the garage cool, even on the hottest days. When we get into any of our three EV's in the garage the passenger cabins are a comfortable 78º F so that we don't have to use our battery charge to remove the heat from the interior of the vehicles. Also, since our attached garage shares a wall with a bathroom, and shares a ceiling with the floor of an upstairs multi-purpose room, keeping the garage cool will result in our house air conditioning having to work less.

The attached photos show the outdoor condenser, the indoor air handler, our energy efficient heat pump water heater (that removes heat from the garage to make hot water - works well in Florida where winters are mild), and the insulation I used for the garage doors.

I just bought one of these units (the largest unit they have) to install in my Mom's house the weekend after next. I've read the installation manuals and watched the videos on YouTube, seems pretty straightforward. From somebody who actually just did it, anything you can share that would make my installation simpler? I've planned on using the entire day, not including getting power to the unit, for the installation (have an electrician coming to run the power and hook everything up).

Campfamily wrote:I just bought one of these units (the largest unit they have) to install in my Mom's house the weekend after next. I've read the installation manuals and watched the videos on YouTube, seems pretty straightforward. From somebody who actually just did it, anything you can share that would make my installation simpler? I've planned on using the entire day, not including getting power to the unit, for the installation (have an electrician coming to run the power and hook everything up).

Keith

It took me the entire day, working mostly by myself. I also watched the YouTube videos. The best advice I can give you is be careful not to kink the line set during installation. The indoor air handler is heavy and awkward to handle. Have another person or two help you hang the air handler and put the line set through the wall. Make sure you open the valves on the outside condenser before you power it on. Also check for leaks on your condenser connections. It wasn’t that hard to install. Good luck.

Campfamily wrote:I just bought one of these units (the largest unit they have) to install in my Mom's house the weekend after next. I've read the installation manuals and watched the videos on YouTube, seems pretty straightforward. From somebody who actually just did it, anything you can share that would make my installation simpler? I've planned on using the entire day, not including getting power to the unit, for the installation (have an electrician coming to run the power and hook everything up).

Keith

It took me the entire day, working mostly by myself. I also watched the YouTube videos. The best advice I can give you is be careful not to kink the line set during installation. The indoor air handler is heavy and awkward to handle. Have another person or two help you hang the air handler and put the line set through the wall. Make sure you open the valves on the outside condenser before you power it on. Also check for leaks on your condenser connections. It wasn’t that hard to install. Good luck.

Thanks....yes, I will have help, a friend of mine who is a pretty good handyman, and my 17 year old son who will be the muscle. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm also considering putting a smaller one of these in my garage to try to keep the temp down in there, since it isn't air conditioned like the rest of my house. But my Mom hasn't had any sort of AC ever, and she's been suffering in these latest heat waves.